A Hamster Named Solitude
by writeringoodfaith
Summary: Marinette was a normal girl, with a normal life. All she wanted was to pick up her hamster and carry on with her career goals - a situation finally picking up steam after landing a coveted position at Gabriel. Meeting a cute, strange blond boy at the pet store with an awful sense of humour was definitely not part of the plan. No-magic AU.
1. A Hamster Named Solitude

'Honestly, Alya, if my dad brings up ONE MORE TIME that stranger in a stupid black cat costume at Halloween he met THAT ONE TIME I'm going to move to Australia and never look back.'

Marinette was living that hustle life. Ever since graduating from university a year ago, her life had been internship after internship (sometimes overlapping internships actually) and she really did not want to get tinder - because how would she even have time to date boys anyway?! Not everyone could be as lucky as Alya in the love department who had been with Nino since they met in high school when they were like, fourteen. She was busy. She was working. She was designing. She had dreams! Her phone was pressed against her ear and her other hand covering her face as she ran through the sprinkling rain without an umbrella. She continued -

'I know I know, my dad just wants me to find someone.' Marinette rolled her eyes at her friend's response.

'I know, you want me to find someone too. Not everything in life is about finding a man you know? I'm determined, next week you know I'm beginning my dream internship working under the Agreste fashion label. And anyway,' continued Marinette. 'Now that I've been working a while, I think I'm finally ready for some commitment.'

A gush of enthusiasm echoed on the phone line.

'NO!' said Marinette. 'Not a boy. Or a date. Stop ambushing me with double dates by the way. Don't think I haven't noticed the setups start up again. And anyway, it's time. It's finally time to get a hamster!'

Marinette could practically hear Alya rolling her eyes.

'I don't need your judgement! You're leaving me to live with Nino next week anyway. I'm going to get a hamster. I'm going to name it Solitude. And it'll be a better housemate than you ever were!' And with that dramatic declaration, Marinette hung up on a still-laughing Alya and huffed.

The pet store was Marinette's happy place. She stepped out of the rain and sighed in relief, patting her damp hair down and then patting her damp hands on her damp jeans as she walked in. She said hello to the little puppies and the little kittens - oh that black one, it totally still had her heart - past the fish and reptiles to the rodent section. She clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward, peering at the two hamsters they had. One was running on the wheel - gah, she loved it when they did that. And the other was chilling towards the front of the glass window. It is to that one that she grinned and greeted, 'Hello, cutie pie.'

'Um, hi.' A man's voice replied next to her.

She let out a shriek and spun around, noticing for the first time the guy next to her. Blonde hair and - were those sunglasses? Indoors? What?

The man suddenly laughed, really awkwardly, bringing an embarrassed hand to the back of his head. 'Sorry, that was super presumptuous of me to think you were talking to me. You were talking to the hamster.'

'I was,' confirmed Marinette, nodding slowly and looking at him accusingly.

'If I was talking to the hamster, I'd be like girl, are you from Amsterdam? Cos Hamster, Damn!' he laughed merrily at his own joke.

But Marinette shook her head slowly - mouth opening a little in disbelief. Puns? Puns! Puns were the lowest form of humour and that was one of the worst puns she had ever heard. Definitely on par with her papa's level. She looked at his easy grin and reassessed her judgement. He looked entirely too pleased with himself. Maybe a little bit lower than papa.

'Mr Fu!' she called out into the shop.

A diminutive man in a bright Hawaiian t-shirt appeared. 'Oh you're here already, Marinette! Good, good.' He inclined his head towards the guy next to her, 'Adrien, you're here too!'

'I'm here to pick up my hamster!' they declared in unison, turning to each other in shock as they spoke the same words.

Mr Fu clapped his hands in delight and beamed, 'Excellent, that is excellent.'

Marinette pointed to the hamster in the window - the one watching her with adorable little eyes. It was a brown hamster with white spots. Or it may have been a white hamster with brown spots. In either case - it was adorable, it was spotty and Marinette truly felt like they had made a connection through the glass window. 'Can I hold her again, please?'

'Of course.' Mr Fu replied. 'I'll grab the key.' He walked off through an employee door.

'You're here for a hamster? I'm here for a hamster too!' exclaimed the blonde guy next to her.

'I was wondering what would happen to Mr Mischievous,' said Marinette.

'He is a little bit cheeky, isn't he?'

They both peered at the black hamster who seemed to be taking a rest from running in the wheel and was now lounging about in there instead of exercising.

'I've come here a few times,' admitted the guy sheepishly. He removed his sunglasses and Marinette was momentarily struck by how there was something familiar about his face. He was handsome, undeniably handsome - like a golden young Adonis - with bright green eyes no longer hidden by shades looking earnestly at her and conveying a kindness like no chiseled statue ever could. And covering a terrible sense of humour, she reminded herself. She dubbed him Hamsterdam guy.

'I come here a lot too. Whenever my non-working hours and the shop's opening hours coincide really, actually,' said Marinette.

'Where do you work?' asked Hamsterdam guy politely.

'In fashion,' said Marinette, waiting for the inevitable look of boredom to cross his face as it did to all other guys she had met through Alya when she talked about her passion for design. His reaction could not have been any more different.

His face lit up, reminding her no longer of chiseled statues but of sunflowers opening towards the sun, 'Me too!'

Marinette surveyed his outfit - he was dressed in a black hoodie and dark straight-leg jeans with orange converse shoes. Sunglasses still perched on top of his head - it was raining outside for heaven's sake. 'Really?'

He followed her eyes to his ensemble and laughed, again running a hand through the back of his hair. 'Just at my father's company. I think he too would be mortified if he knew what I wore on the daily.'

She laughed in response. 'My dream is to be a fashion designer, start up my own line one day like Gabriel.'

'Gabriel... Agreste?' he ventured, slowly.

'You do work in fashion!' Marinette enthused. 'I'm starting there as an intern next week!'

'An intern.' he echoed, nodding slowly. Marinette was thinking maybe he wasn't so into the design aspect of fashion when Mr Fu returned with the keys.

'Sorry it took so long, folks,' he apologised. 'Like those who adopt our animals, each lock requires a certain fit!' he drew out a golden key and unlocked the glass cabinet, scooping out Marinette's future hamster.

With a coo and feelings of maternal instincts she didn't even realise she had, Marinette cradled her soon-to-be pet. She stroked the fur on the hamster's back and watched as it began to nuzzle into her arms.

'She likes you,' confirmed Mr Fu.

'I like her too,' admitted Marinette, continuing to pet the hamster. 'What do you think of the name Solitude for her Mr Fu?' Marinette cooed at the hamster, 'you'll keep me safe from awful romantic setups from Alya, won't you cutie pie?'

Mr Fu coughed suddenly. A moment passed and Marinette and the other guy looked at Mr Fu with concern. He cleared his throat and said, 'Actually, I've always personally thought she looked like a Tikki.'

'Tikki,' Marinette repeated the name, trying it out on her tongue. The hamster seemed to look up towards her as she said the name. 'Tikki,' she repeated, and the hamster nuzzled into her hold, settling in comfortably as Marinette continued to stroke its fur.

'Yes, that sounds right.' She smiled at Tikki and at the guy who was picking up the black hamster and also petting it.

'Do you have a name recommendation for this guy too?' he asked as he stroked the hamster's black fur.

'How about Plagg?' suggested Mr Fu. At the mention of his name, Plagg let out a squeal and tried to escape from the guy's hold.

'A suitable name for this mischievous hamster,' said Hamsterdam guy with approval.

'You may be able to curtail his cheekiness with regular doses of cheese,' said Mr Fu with a wink.

'Thanks for the tip! And hey Mr Fu, could you take a photo of Plagg and I? I gotta remember to take photos for my new instagram.'

Mr Fu admitted, 'I'm not too good with technology.' He looked sideways at Marinette who was putting Tikki down back into the glass cabinet and walked towards her, pushing her towards the Hamsterdam while she blinked rapidly in confusion, 'I'm sure Marinette would be willing to help take a photo!'

'Sure?' said Marinette. He passed along his phone and she took a step back, trying to get an aesthetic background.

'Wait one moment,' he requested. He quickly ran his fingers through his hair and checked his reflection in the reflection of the hamster's glass cabinet. 'Ready!'

'Three, two, one,' Marinette counted down and then took a couple of photos on his phone. In between shots he adjusted angles - bringing Plagg to his front, placing Plagg in the palms of his hands, a candid laughing shot as he held Plagg up like a baby Simba. The photos actually came out pretty good if Marinette said so herself. Maybe she should pick up photography as a hobby?

He looked over the phone. 'Great job. Thank you and ahh,' he looked a bit embarrassed. 'You wouldn't mind being in a photo with me, would you? I've been told by my social media manager that I need more people in my instagram photographs…'

This guy had a social media manager? Should she know him? She was pretty new to the instagram scene… Maybe Alya would. 'Sure,' she acquiesced.

He picked up the phone and deftly angled it above them and using one hand he took a selfie. Marinette was shyly smiling in the photograph, trying to hide behind Tikki whom she had lifted up to cup near her face.

Mr Fu smiled, watching the exchange.

A hamster, a cage, a food bowl, a water bowl, an exercise wheel, toys, and a pair of hamster nail clippers later, all being held precariously by Marinette in her right hand as she balanced Tikki and her box in her left hand and she was ready to go!

She opened the door with an elbow and was met with a splash from a car riding too close to the curb. Almost dropping everything, she let out a shriek and let the door close behind her.

The guy in the store, holding a very similar allotment of hamster equipment, followed her out, stopping only to put his hoodie up.

The rain made a pitter-patter sound against the sidewalk and Marinette looked miserably up at the foreboding sky. It was raining a lot harder than when she came in. Both her and Tikki would get so, so wet the walk home. She was debating whether she should try calling Alya to see if she were free to swing by with her car or dip into her recently significantly depleted funds and call an uber when she realised that she was no longer getting rained on. An umbrella had opened up above her, being held by hamsterdam.

'I just wanted to say,' he began, 'that I'm really sorry if my joke made you feel uncomfortable earlier. I don't actually get out a lot and I've been told I have a terrible sense of humour and I'd hate for a lame pick up line about hamsters to be the thing you remember me by,' his words rushed out one after another, like he'd been bottling them up for a while. His face was a picture of perfect contrition, eyes gazing soulfully at her.

Marinette couldn't help a laugh escape her. 'Well that Hamsterdam joke was really quite memorable. I thought I left that form of humour behind when I moved out of home. I think you'd get along with my dad -'

A roll of thunder followed almost immediately by a flash of lightning interrupted their conversation and Marinette jumped a little with a start. He looked at his phone, a slightly anxious expression crossing his face.

'I've got another appointment,' he admitted, nodding towards a black luxury car that had just pulled up across the street. 'Here, you take the umbrella. You look like you could use it,' he chuckled lightly as he handed the umbrella over to her.

As their fingers touched, something happened that Marinette hadn't felt with a guy for a really long time. Not since that dumb Halloween party years ago. She felt her cheeks grow warm as she looked up at him and he smiled softly at her. A tentative tilt of his mouth as his fingers brushed hers to give her the umbrella. Something about his face was so achingly familiar, but she couldn't put a finger on it.

'Wait!' she called out after his retreating back.

He turned around quickly, his hoodie falling down as he did so.

She laughed a little as he put down some of the hamster equipment he was holding to pull his hoodie over his head again - providing some protection from the rain at least.

'My name is Marinette,' she called out. 'What's yours hamsterdam boy?'

He laughed incredulously at her nickname for him and called out in response, 'Adrien!'

She waved at him from under the shelter of the umbrella as he stepped into the car across the street - wow those windows were tinted dark - and left.

'Hey, Tikki,' Marinette said to her hamster. 'I wonder if I'll ever see him again.' Tikki swiped at her nose, rubbing her little paws together. Laughing, Marinette said aloud, 'I'll take that as a yes!'

* * *

_**Author's Note:** Hi there! I wrote this so long ago (before more than half of my MLB/Harry Potter crossover series!), but didn't post it because though I love it as a one-shot, my heart knew it could be more. Now, it is almost complete (!) and there's nothing like feedback and commentary to get those creative juices going. Follow for updates. Ask me for sneak peaks! It will be 4 chapters + an epilogue._


	2. A Hamster Named Coincidence

'I can't believe after all your talk of finding a better roommate than me in the form of a hamster you didn't even name her Solitude.' Alya greeted Marinette as she stepped into Alya's bedroom i.e. the war zone. Boxes were haphazardly placed throughout the room, a corner stacked with flat ones to be built. Alya's belongings were scattered across the floor, a mountain of clothes piled onto her bed. Alya's red hair was tamed into a bun, her black wire glasses on askew as she sank onto what little remained of the space on the floor.

'Is this how you're going to treat me while I spend my last day of pre-internship freedom dealing with your stuff?'

Alya just laughed in response. 'You know you love me.' She grinned.

Marinette muttered under her breath, 'I also loved the half of the rent you paid. I hope your referral pulls through.'

'You remember Juleka from school, right? It's her older brother.' Alya assured her, sitting up. 'He's great.' Alya grinned at her a little too innocently and Marinette buried her face in her hands.

'No, Alya! I refuse to be set up again! Don't you suggest things like that!'

Alya dismissed Marinette's protestations with a wave of her hand.

'Anyway,' Marinette continued. 'I actually met someone kind of interesting last week at the pet store. Without your help I might add.'

'And why is this the first time I'm hearing about it? Is this about a boy?!' Alya exclaimed. 'Girl, details - the devil is in the details.'

Marinette's cheeks turned a dusty red. 'Because nothing actually happened.'

'Wait - you met him at the pet store?'

'Yeah.'

Alya whipped out her phone to open instagram. 'Is this him?' she swiped over to a photograph of a partially obscured Marinette by Tikki with Adrien and Plagg.

Marinette nodded in response.

'I can't believe I didn't realise that was you!' Alya burst out into laughter. This was delightful news. She knew Adrien. He'd been best friends with Nino for ages but he didn't get out much cos of his overbearing father. And his job - which was working for his overbearing father. Nino had met him through uni. Look at him posing with Plagg. Alya had actually liked those photos on his instagram. What were the chances? Given how poorly Marinette had reacted to the potential setting up with her prospective new roommate Luka, Alya decided to play it cool and be subtle. Unfortunately for Alya, her idea of subtlety was a bright orange power suit. 'So,' she drawled out, 'Are you going to see Adrien again?'

'Well, no? I mean that would be cool but probably not? You know I don't know how to flirt and what, I can't just keep going to the pet store hoping to bump into him again -'

Alya cut off her mid-rant, 'But wouldn't it be a _real_ coincidence if you bumped into him again right now?'

'What?' Marinette blinked.

'Yeah!' enthused Alya. 'You know, you seeing him again because maybe he's coming in to help with the move because maybe I recognise this guy, maybe this guy is a good friend of Nino's? Maybe I've been wanting you two to meet for a while?'

Their intercom rang and Nino was heard over loudspeaker. 'Hey Alya, Marinette! I'm here and I've brought a friend to help!'

'No,' whispered Marinette, eyes going wide, realising that Alya perhaps had not been joking.

'Oh yes,' said Alya, looking entirely too pleased with herself. She went over to the intercom and pressed the unlock key. 'Come on up!' she announced.

'ALYA, I CAN'T - YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME, I'M NOT PREPARED, I HAVEN'T BRUSHED MY TEETH YET I'M NOT WEARING MY LUCKY SOCKS ALYAAAA!' Marinette's yell trailed off as she grabbed a new change of clothes from her bedroom ran into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, Marinette returned, to see Adrien - who looked cuter than she remembered in blue jeans and a white t-shirt button up shirt rolled to his elbows, a deceptively simple outfit probably actually designed to encourage girls like her to ogle his forearms - looking at their plaque wall. It had their university degrees, a copy of Alya's first published piece of writing and embarrassingly, Marinette's certificate from high school when she won her the hat competition run by Gabriel. It was so long ago.

When she approached him with a 'hi' he jumped a little.

His hand went to the back of his head, touching his blonde locks. Marinette wanted to touch them too. 'Hi,' he replied. 'We meet again, Marinette.'

Self-consciously, she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ears. 'Hi Hamsterdam.'

He laughed at the nickname.

'Alya said you were here to help her move?'

'Yeah!' he confirmed.

'I can't believe you know Nino. How is the world this small?'

Adrien turned to look at her wall again, seemingly preoccupied with her derby hat certificate. 'Yeah,' he echoed again. 'Cool hat,' he pointed at the photograph next to the certificate, dimples in his cheeks showing as he grinned at her.

Marinette just laughed awkwardly in response, embarrassed by how proud she was of winning that competition so long ago.

He continued, 'I could look at it owl night long.'

'Oh, you can pun on more topics than hamsters?'

'My humour is punstoppable.'

Marinette let out a response that was a mixture of a laugh and a groan and Adrien laughed merrily at her reaction, possibly also at his own joke. She thought to herself that even if his humour was ridiculous, at least his laugh was kind of lovely.

'Oi! Lovebirds!' Alya called out into the living room from her bedroom. Marinette scowled at Alya's nickname, not noticing the tips of Adrien's ears going as pink as his cheeks. 'You gonna help pack or flirt all day?'

'Don't listen to Alya, Adrien. She just likes to bully me.' She led the way back towards Alya's bedroom where Nino was wrestling with the hidden end of a tape roll among half formed boxes. Judged by the cussing coming from his mouth, he wasn't winning the wrestle.

Marinette held her hand out and Nino dropped the tape roll into her awaiting palm. Using her fingernail she found the end of the tape. Pulling the tape out, she folded the edge over slightly and handed it back to Nino so he wouldn't lose the end again. Alya had gone back to sorting clothes so Marinette sidled up to Adrien to help him with unloading Alya's bookcase. They worked in tandem, grabbing part of a shelf each at a time to keep the colour coordinated order that Alya had going on and placed them into awaiting boxes they got from Nino's corner of the room. Adrien then took the initiative and lifted the completed boxes of books and moved them into the living room so there would be more space. When she had unpacked the last of the books, Marinette wondered whether she could lift a box of books herself. She figured she had a decent shot. She was used to carrying bags of flour around and unloading baking delivery supplies after all from her parents. Bending her knees like she was taught to protect her lower back, she slipped her hands underneath the bottom of the box and lifted.

Oh boy. It was heavy.

The strain in her arms meant she immediately regretted her decision. But it wasn't something she couldn't carry. It just wasn't very… comfortable. She took halting steps, keeping her knees bent as she crab-walked to get through the door to the living room where Adrien had put the rest of the book boxes. Heaving, she put the box down to get a better grip so she could lift it on top of the other boxes and continue the stack. As she was lifting the box up, she felt the box being lifted out of her hands. Not anticipating the sudden lack of weight, Marinette felt herself lose balance and with a shriek she fell sideways, elbow landing first into something not quite as hard as she was anticipating. It was Adrien! She had landed on Adrien!

'Are you alright, Marinette?' he asked her softly, and something in the way that he asked made her realise how intimately they were entwined on the floor. Her elbows were on either side of his torso, her legs tangled up with his and she realised that he must have literally cushioned her fall. She felt her face heat up as a treacherous part of her continued to dwell on their close physical proximity. Was she alright? She sure wasn't going to be for very much longer if he continued to look at her like that.

She was about to reply out loud like a normal person when Nino and Alya burst onto the scene.

'What happened? Where are you guys? Are you ok?' Alya's panicked voice rang through the room.

'Calm down, babe. They're fine,' announced Nino who had noticed the tangle of legs on the floor behind the stacked boxes.

Slowly Marinette picked herself up from Adrien, her face still warm. Adrien stood up.

'They're just getting acquainted,' continued Nino with a wink that did not help with Marinette's blush at all. Her mama hardly blushed why did she have to inherit her papa's emotional thermometer?

'Are you alright, Marinette?' repeated Adrien, concern evident in his expression. 'I'm sorry, I think I knocked you off balance.' He offered a hand towards her and still sort of dazed, she gave him her hand and he pulled her up to an upright position.

'I'm fine!' she insisted. 'Are you okay, Adrien? I think I landed on you.' She grimaced.

He nodded, 'My abs can handle it.'

She laughed, 'Abs of steel, huh?'

Nino chimed in, 'More like Man of Steel. Superhero and supermo -'

Adrien cut off Nino with a quick elbow jab to Nino's own abs. With a sour expression, Nino rubbed at the sore spot.

'Unfair dude. You know I don't work out like you do.'

Alya just laughed. 'Well then, now that we have ascertained that Adrien has survived his first incident with Marinette's legendary klutziness,' she ignored Marinette's indignant - hey! - 'I think we're ready to start loading the rental van!'

* * *

Two hours later and they were done. Alya's previous bedroom was empty and thoroughly cleaned out. The trail of packing carnage through the living room had also been tidied up. Marinette came from the kitchen with a glass of water for everyone balanced very precariously between her hands and her elbows and the rest of the crew were splayed out across the opened up sofa bed in exhaustion.

'Thanks for coming by and helping Adrien,' said Alya. She muttered thanks as she extricated a glass of water from Marinette.

'Happy to help,' said Adrien at the same time that Nino made a noise of protest and asked with a mock wounded expression, 'No thanks for your boyfriend?'

Adrien stood up to help Marinette who shook her head and handed him a glass of water from her unconstrained arm. She then swapped the glass perched in her elbow for her free hand and handed Nino a glass who thanked her with a salute.

'Well, I am moving in with you, you dork. So really, helping me move out is helping yourself.' Alya grinned at her own logic and Nino just rolled his eyes, asking out loud why he even bothered loving her.

Marinette giggled as she made her way to sit on top of the coffee table to face them, her own drink in her lap. After what happened earlier, she probably couldn't be trusted to sit next to Adrien and not wind up on top of him. Probably.

'Nino, let's go and take the truck to our place! I want to beat the rush-hour evening traffic.'

'Okay,' readily agreed Nino. Adrien stood up to follow, presumably to assist but Alya motioned for him to sit back down. 'We'll be alright unloading. And we'll unbox another day. Besides, the van only has two seats currently in use at the moment,' she said.

Uncertainly, Adrien sat back down.

'Don't go yet bro, hang out with Marinette. I'll be back in a bit,' called out Nino.

The couple then grabbed the car keys and left the apartment. Marinette decided with the sofa bed thus vacated would probably be safe to sit on with Adrien without triggering her emotional thermometer. She stood up to sit beside him in her favourite corner, legs spread out straight in front of her.

'Thanks again for helping us out today, Adrien.' Marinette said to begin conversation. 'We really appreciate it!'

He just shook his head. 'You're welcome. It's good to get out of the house actually and to meet new people. Or to re-meet old people,' he amended with a laugh, referring to their actual meeting at the pet store the other day.

'Oh! Would you like to see how Tikki is doing?'

'Yes!' agreed Adrien, excitedly.

When Nino and Alya came back an hour later, it almost looked like Adrien had cat ears. But no, it was just Tikki, sitting on his head, cute little face peeking out between the loose waves of his hair.

Nino and Alya took one look at Adrien, hair mussed and obviously enjoying himself and Marinette, sidled up to him, trying to coo her hamster and encourage her to jump back into Marinette's hands and grinned knowingly at each other.

Alya was about to interrupt them when Nino held her back, shaking his head slightly and speaking softly.

'Let them be, Alya! They gotta develop at their own pace.'

'But-' she began.

Nino continued, cutting her off with a look. 'You know how Marinette gets about setups ever since the Halloween party. We gotta leave it be, babe. We've provided the tinder, it's up to them to spark.'

'We did do a pretty good job being tinder, hey.'

'Yes,' agreed Nino. 'And now they've matched. And it is time for them to move on outside of the app.' Nino continued his analogy. 'Outside of further meddling,' he enunciated slowly, 'from us.'

Alya sighed. She liked being tinder. She also liked being right. But motivating her the most was actually just that she was worried for Marinette - that was all. And now she was leaving her all alone so she could move in with Nino. I mean, Tikki was great and all, but Marinette also needed people. She watched Marinette grab Tikki from the top of Adrien's head and laugh at his pout. Her friend looked so happy, she didn't even seem to have noticed that her and Nino had arrived back yet.

Adrien then made eye contact with Alya and Nino and waved. Following his gaze, Marinette turned around, a light dusting of pink on her cheeks as she tried too hard not to look like she was enjoying herself. But Alya knew her girl, knew the tells of her body language betraying her. She was sitting so close to Adrien, one nudge would send her tumbling into his lap. Why was Marinette so afraid of love? Why was she so afraid of making a human connection? And, the question foremost on Alya's mind: what more could she do to help?


	3. A Hamster Named Halloween

_Almost eighteen months ago, at Halloween _

* * *

'What are you supposed to be, a spotty Spiderman?' A tall boy in a black leather skinsuit and a matching mask walked over to where Marinette was awkwardly hovering by the punch bowl.

Already a few drinks in (a foreseeable danger from deciding to hang out next to the punch bowl), she shot back, 'Look who's talking, Catwoman.'

He grinned in response to her call-out, displaying a set of perfect teeth well-suited to grinning. 'Obviously, I'm Chat Noir - hero of Paris!' he flexed an arm out and spun around to flex both biceps at the same time.

Marinette rolled her eyes. 'Sure, and I'm Ladybug, heroine of Paris.'

'Well, why not?'

Marinette shifted awkwardly, suddenly glad for her own mask to hide her features. 'I had a lot of black spotted red spandex leftover from a Ladybug art project. Someone convinced me it'd be a good idea to make a skintight super suit for Halloween. I accepted the challenge only for its artistic merit.'

'And the world has accordingly been blessed.' Chat Noir placed a hand over his heart to mark the solemn occasion. 'Are you a fashion designer?' he asked politely.

'I want to be,' admitted Marinette. 'I'm studying fashion at the moment.'

'Ah…' said Chat Noir. 'I see it now. Ladybug the fashion designer, taking the world by storm!'

'And how did you come into wearing a skin-tight black leather suit, with a matching bell no less?' not knowing what daring possessed her, she leaned forward to flick it and with a smug look, she smiled as the bell rang clearly. She looked up into cat boy's eyes, which she noted were a shade of bright green and watched as he gulped.

He opened his mouth, seemed to think better of it and closed it again.

'What's the matter, Chat Noir? Cat got your tongue?'

She didn't know what possessed her. Whether the alcohol had loosened her inhibitions completely or set fire to her blood which felt like it was burning under his green-eyed gaze. All she knew was that this blonde haired cat boy was cute and in another room in the house Alya was currently plotting to try and set her up with one of Nino's friends. Screw that - thought Marinette briefly. Then she stopped thinking altogether. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

When he reacted by stiffening, Marinette wondered whether she had made a huge mistake. Or was continuing to do so - kissing was really not her field of expertise. No prior experience would do that to a person. But something about him just felt right. And soon, such thoughts completely melted away as he brought a hand to the small of her back and pulled her closer. A whimper escaped her as he angled his head to deepen the kiss. She felt her knees go weak and was suddenly grateful for his arm around her to hold her up. When he broke off the kiss to start trailing kisses along her neck, she gasped. And took a step backwards, knocking into the table behind her.

The table that was holding the large bowl of punch she had been helping herself to only a short conversation ago. The table wasn't very sturdy.

Marinette shrieked as the lower half of her body was doused in fruity flavoured punch. Chat Boy had managed to avoid the downpour largely because she had caught the brunt of it. He extended a hand towards her to help her up and begrudgingly she took it.

'Come on Ladybug, let's get you cleaned up.'

She nodded, totally embarrassed by the whole situation.

'Um,' she pulled her hand back suddenly. 'Actually, I think I'll just go home. This isn't going to be something I can just wipe off.'

'Oh,' said Chat Noir. 'Ok, I'll take you home!'

'You drove here?'

'Yep,' his lips popped with the 'p,' and he smiled, easily.

'I'll get your car sticky!' she pointed out.

'Really, it's not a problem,' he insisted.

She laughed nervously. 'Okay. Thank you.' What were the chances Alya would invite a weirdo to her Halloween party? It'd be fine, right? She quickly shot a text to Alya:

_Punch bowl fell on me. Chat Noir is taking me home. _

Even in the middle of a party, Marinette knew she could depend on Alya to check her phone. Her phone buzzed with Alya's prompt reply.

_Chat Noir, eh? _

Marinette could practically see the smirk on Alya's face. Her phone buzzed again.

_Text me when you get home! _

She didn't live very far away, but if she could avoid a ten minute train ride back to her house in a dripping wet halloween costume at night, she'd take him up on that.

They sat in silence on the ride back to her place. She'd like to think it wasn't awkward, but it wasn't often (or … ever. It was totally unprecedented really) that she met someone who made her feel like stars were shooting out of her eyes, made her feel weak in the knees, made her breath feel short. Even thinking about it brought warmth to her cheeks. What happened next usually? Did they exchange numbers? Would they go on a date? Would they see each other again or in the future pass each other by like ships in the night, unrecognisable in their everyday clothing without the masks? She couldn't decide if the masks were a good or a bad thing. They prevented them from recognising each other more easily, but it also covered her growing embarrassment a lot better. He parked on the street around the corner from her bakery. He insisted on walking her to her door and she was a little touched by his chivalry.

As they walked towards the bakery though, she began to suspect it was less to do with his chivalry and more to do with the fact that her home was a bakery.

'I can't believe you live here!' he said excitedly.

'Yeah, this is my parents' bakery.'

'Your parents own this bakery? Your parents are _the _Tom and Sabine from the Tom and Sabine Boulangerie? This is only the best bakery in Paris. I come here whenever I can.'

She smiled proudly. 'Is that very often?' she asked, hopefully.

'No, sadly.'

She looked back at him, a question on her lips when the door swung open and her Papa let out an exclamation.

'Who is this?' he narrowed his eyes at the boy in the catsuit, noting how close he was standing to his daughter.

Chat Noir gulped and took a step back, bowing gallantly. 'Chat Noir, at your service. Just making sure Ladybug got home safe tonight.' He cupped his hand over his mouth and gestured to her wet suit, 'there was an incident with the punch bowl.'

'Hey!' exclaimed Marinette. 'You totally share responsibility. You distracted me!' She flicked his bell in retribution and he laughed.

Tom Dupain surveyed the two young adults, a slow smile stretching along his broad face. He was a romantic at heart. And he hadn't seen his Marinette interacting so casually with a boy her age in so long. She was usually so serious, so focused on her dream of becoming a fashion designer. 'Okay, darling. I'm going to head back to bed now. Thank you Mr. Chat Noir for taking home our Ladybug.'

Chat Noir ruffled the back of his hair in a cute sort of embarrassed way. 'It was nothing. It was my pleasure, really. Or my fault - depends who you ask.'

Tom Dupain made his way back into the house, already making plans to wake up Sabine to let her know that Marinette had brought home a _boy _.

Back on the doorstep, Marinette fiddled with one end of her pigtails and wondered what was the best way to express that she would like to see him again.

'Thanks for the ride.'

'No problems!' he said brightly.

'Um,' she tried again, and figured a direct approach was probably best, 'May I know the name of my benefactor?'

'A gentleman never kisses and tells.'

She laughed. 'That is not what that means.'

'But it's the truth.' He looked away from her, out into the night, seemingly lost in thought. Then he looked right at her. His green eyes framed by the black mask and lit by the shop light her Papa had flicked on for them. She could see a tiny reflection of herself in his eyes - dark hair in pigtails, red spotted mask. Nervous all of a sudden, she licked her lips and watched her gaze follow her tongue. He moved a breath closer, bending towards her and she stilled in anticipation.

But then, he pulled away suddenly. 'I should go,' he said. He stepped away from her and she felt a vacuum of warmth where his body had been.

'What?' she echoed dumbly.

'Goodbye. My lady.' He bowed, a ridiculous bow, pressing a chaste kiss to a hand she hadn't realised she had clenched.

And then he was gone. She watched as his lithe figure fell out of view, his cat tail made out of a leather belt swaying slightly with each step. When he was almost indistinguishable from the night surrounding him she thought he might have turned around, but she couldn't be sure. Her heart beat fast, and she realised the emotion swelling at the pit of her stomach felt a lot worse than being told she'd never make it in fashion in Paris because of her mixed heritage. Felt a lot worse than receiving her sketches back marked all in red with critical questions and the request to start from scratch. Felt worse than the awkwardness of setups from Alya. It was a whole other level of rejection. And the feeling was only growing inside of her as she remembered what she would've sworn was actual chemistry. Actual physical proof that she could like someone, that being with someone might not be awful.

She wiped away a tear she didn't realise had formed on her masked cheek. Maybe some people had time for romance. Some people had time to put their heart out on the sleeves and have it squeezed by strangers on Halloween. But, Marinette decided, she did not. She wanted to be a fashion designer. She knew it was a ruthless cutthroat world and as someone who wasn't born with connections, she'd have to make them on her own through networking. She'd have to build a portfolio she could be proud of, that no fashion house could turn down. She was busy. And she did not need anybody to complete her. There was no yin to her yang. There was just her. And she'd do just fine.

And anyway. What good could have come out of romance that began on the night where ghouls and ghosts walked the earth? What luck could have come out of meeting a literal black cat on Halloween?

* * *

_The present day _

* * *

Tapping idly at the countertop, Marinette took out her phone to check the time. 3:58 PM. One hour until closing time. Even though she hadn't worked at the bakery for a while, some things were hard to forget. Sunday afternoon slowness was one of those things. Her internship had started and though it had only been a week, Marinette could confidently say that working at Gabriel _was _all it was cracked up to be. Yes, the work was hard but for someone who lived and breathed fashion, every corner was a feast for her eyes. The hands-on projects they were involved in already exceeded the scope of her previous internships. And Nathaniel and Rose, fellow interns she met on the first day, seemed really nice.

She decided to wipe down the counter and rearrange the few remaining baked goods left for the day. Now it was 4:07PM.

Earlier that week, she had been surprised when Papa had asked whether she'd be able to take a Sunday afternoon shift for them. When she asked why because she knew it wasn't usually busy he had said something about a regular customer he didn't want to disappoint even though her parents had to go out of town. So there she was. Back where it all began.

4:09PM. Minutes somehow went slower when you were trying to count them. She unlocked her phone to shoot a message to Alya.

_Psst Alya _

Alya responded instantly - like Marinette hoped she would. That girl was addicted to her phone.

_What's up, girl? Slow shift at the bakery? _

_You know it. _

_I'm taking a break from writing my article now anyway. _

_I wish the bakery was on break. _

_If it was on break, wouldn't you pretty much be doing the same thing? I.e. Texting me? :P _

_I suppose I am on break then. I don't even know why I'm here! Sunday afternoon shifts are the absolute slowest. Papa said something about a regular customer who visits but I haven't seen a soul since Mr Ramier came by to buy some crusts for the pigeons after lunch. _

_Maybe the regular customer was Mr Ramier? _

Marinette paused to contemplate that. That could be true. Why didn't she think of that?

_Why you always gotta have so much common sense, Alya? What would I do without you? _

_Live your whole life with your head in the clouds, I'm sure. _

Marinette laughed a little at that. She couldn't deny it. She was interrupted by the tinkling sound of the bell as a customer walked in. She quickly texted out:

_A WILD CUSTOMER APPEARS _

And when she looked up, she froze. For she knew the figure walking towards her. Blonde hair, lips stretched wide in an easy smile and today, a profile chiseled by the Greek gods and today, a hoodie with cat ears. Really?

'Marinette!' he warmly gushed. Then he paused and asked, bewildered, 'What are you doing here?'

'Me? I live here. What are you doing here?'

She felt her phone buzz in her pocket.

_Who was it? Anyone you knew? _

She quickly texted back: _Adrien _

'You … live here?' he echoed slowly, his nose adorably scrunched in confusion.

'Yeah, well I live upstairs. I'm helping my parents out with the bakery. I do this sometimes. Because I'm magnanimous.'

Adrien just nodded slowly. What was with him?

Her phone buzzed again and she saw from the text preview that Alya had sent her a couple of smirking emojis, a love heart eyes emojis and had also thrown in the thirsty emoji for good measure.

'I should go,' he blurted out suddenly.

'Wait, why? Without buying anything? Papa said a regular customer comes in on Sunday afternoons.'

'Yes, well, I have been coming in a bit more regularly I suppose…'

'What's your usual order?'

'One passionfruit macaron.'

Marinette reached over to the macaron display cabinet, selected the one remaining passionfruit macaron and placed it in a paper bag.

Adrien pulled out a bill to pay for it and when their hands touched briefly as she passed him the paper bag, she noticed the tips of his ears match his blushing face.

'Do you,' he began, 'do you really not remember me?'

'Of course I do? You're Adrien? We saw each other like last week at my apartment for Alya's moving day?'

'No, I mean from before that.'

'At the pet store?' Marinette was genuinely confused.

'Before that,' he insisted. 'Wait, this might help.' He pulled on his black hoodie, the cat ears sticking up on top of his now mostly covered blonde hair.

'I did notice you make interesting fashion choices for someone who works in fashion.'

He let out a groan of frustration and pushed the hood back down. 'I'm really sorry, Marinette. I know it was more than a year ago, but I was at a tricky time in my life. And when I met a girl dressed up as a Ladybug at Alya's Halloween party last year I-'

Marinette cut him off. 'Halloween? Last year?' she asked, eyes widening.

He squirmed uncomfortably.

'Chat Noir?'

'They say cats always land on their feet, but when we first met you swept me off mine?' the joke came out like a question.

'No,' she mouthed silently, looking away from him.

'Marinette?' his face appeared in her periphery as he leaned over the counter.

She shook herself and covered her face. Her voice came out in a whisper, 'Please leave,' she requested.

'But your father said to-'

'This is a lot to take in,' she interrupted. 'And as you can see, I'm at work now.'

He turned back to look at her, contrition shining in those familiar green eyes as he stood by the door. 'I really am sorry, Marinette.'

As the sound of the doorway bell jingled faded away like his retreating back Marinette brought out her phone.

_ALYA. ADRIEN WAS CHAT NOIR. _

_Chat Noir? You mean that boy last Halloween that ghosted you? _

_YES. HE JUST ADMITTED IT. _

_What did you do? _

_What do you think I did? I asked him to leave. I can't handle this _

_Omg. Marinette. This is going to be the biggest irony, but Nino and I were mad at Adrien too during that party because we had planned for him to meet you but he bailed super early and all he could talk about was "my lady" afterwards and it took me a long time to stop being frosty with him. _

_Omg. Marinette. _

_Hnnghhjlskkjdsf _

_*heart emoji* x 3_

_:( *hugs* _

_Why didn't he ever contact me, Alya? And more importantly, wHY does that bother me so much? _

Her phone indicated that Alya was typing, probably a long response. Marinette sighed and pushed her fringe out of her eyes, leaning her elbows down on the counter.

_Essay time!  
__Firstly, Marinette, I'm 100% on your side. If you think he's trash and you never want to talk to him again, I fully support that.  
Secondly - and please don't hate me - but I'm just going to point out that __you don't know why he never contacted you. Yes, ghosting is deplorable, but I know Adrien. He's one of the kindest guys I know. I mean he_ volunteered _to help me move. Volunteered! And his job and home situation means... he faces a lot of unique pressures. _  
_Thirdly - and I'm sorry to say this, but you know I don't mince words - I know you have unresolved feelings for him. You literally have only ever talked to me about two guys. And it turns out they're the same freaking guy! I'm sorry you're hurting, but getting closure probably would help. This is his number. When you're feeling up to it, maybe you should talk. _

Marinette disliked each point more the further she went along. But Alya delivered truth like a bomb - all at once, and painfully. Is this what journalism school had taught her? Marinette sighed, the fight gone out of her. She replied with one word.

_Ok. _

Alya sent her Adrien's contact details and she stared at the stupid 10 digit number. But first thing's first. She needed to close up shop first.

By the time she'd cleared all the store windows, wiped all the flat surfaces, mopped the floor and recorded the cash in the register, Marinette was tired. His number in her phone felt like a tiny niggling weight in the back of her mind. She remembered how his face lit up when he called her name when he first entered the store. She remembered his ridiculous Chat Noir bow and the way the tips of his ears turned red when he was embarrassed. He was embarrassed by this. He had said he was sorry. She sighed, one large exhale she couldn't help escaping from her mouth.

She'd bite the bullet. She pressed on the little phone icon under his contact name. After a few rings, he picked up.

'Hello?' his voice greeted her.

'Hi Adrien.'

'Marinette,' his voice broke as he uttered her name. He'd met her four times and yet already knew her voice. 'Marinette, I'm so sorry.' It all came out in a rush. 'I know it's no excuse, but my father, he, he takes my reputation very seriously. And last year I had been involved in some scandals because this girl I used to model with had gone to the paparazzi, spreading all these lies, claiming she was pregnant with my baby. And my father didn't believe me and I hadn't even ever kissed the girl, let alone slept with her.' He broke off in a choked sob. 'And it was all over the news. I just… My father thought I was going to have to marry her. The tests she underwent came back negative, but not before I'd been put on literal house arrest. And when I snuck out and met you, you were like a breath of fresh air and I shouldn't have kissed you, I shouldn't have brought you home.'

'I'm pretty sure I'm the one that kissed you first,' added Marinette.

He laughed in a pained kind of way. 'It all blew over in the end. She was lying, of course she was. And you can only fake a pregnancy for so long before science reveals the truth to a paternity claim. But I … I felt so bad. For leading you on. For turning away. For never being brave enough to come back… After the incident my father instituted a total ban on my love life. I haven't missed it to be honest but I'd never forgive myself if I let you get away without telling you that I felt something for you back then. And you are amazing. And I'm sorry. And I've ruminated on that day for a very long time, regretting much of it but not being able to regret meeting you.' He added, after a pause, 'If you never want to see me again, I understand.'

Marinette paused on her end of the line, digesting his words, feeling them stew within her and settle somewhere in her gut. It was a lot to take in. Her voice was barely more than a whisper, 'I do want to see you again.'

'You don't have to be nice to me, Marinette. You can tell me the truth, I won't be offended.'

'Really,' she emphasised, her voice stronger now. 'I would like to be your friend, if that's okay with you.'

He replied, 'I would like that very much.'

They talked for four more hours after that. About topics ranging from hamster nail care to their future dreams. When Marinette closed her eyes to sleep that night, her phone buzzing with a goodnight text from Adrien, she smiled to herself. It was fitting that he first met her as a witch's familiar on Halloween because she was sure he had cast some kind of spell on her. He would enjoy that kind of joke.

Laying aside his penchant for speech apologies, his father issues and insecurities, she could see someone genuinely kind. Someone who could brighten her day with his optimism and dorky humour. Someone who could make her laugh. Maybe she wasn't ready to be more than friends with anyone yet, but having him in her life would make life a little sweeter. And, something she found out Tikki had in common with her recently actually, she'd always had a sweet tooth.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **Do you forgive Chat Noir for breaking Ladybug's heart? _

_Honestly this was hard to write, because Adrien is usually a sweet pea. He was younger back then, and revelling in the freedom of a mask. He didn't mean to get so emotionally attached. Or to hurt anyone. He did visit the bakery again, sporadically for a while as he could between work. And then recently, more regularly, in the hopes that he'd see her. But he kept only seeing her dad. One day, he struck up conversation with Tom Dupain about meeting Mr Dupain's daughter at a costume Halloween party once. Mr Dupain soon connected the dots. And then asked Marinette to take the Sunday shift. COINCIDENCE? OR FATE?_


	4. A Hamster Named Fashion

_**Author's Note**: Please forgive me for not knowing anything about fashion or design. I watched Next in Fashion AFTER I wrote this which btw, was awesome. So wholesome and fun. Can't you just see Marinette being a contestant there?! Adrien maybe being a host? Ugh I die_

* * *

Marinette was hunched over her computer monitor, tongue sticking out slightly as she carefully maneuvered her mouse over the sketch of a dress on Adobe Illustrator. It was the dress she was wearing right now, one from the upcoming spring line and an aptly chosen rosy pink colour and she was swapping out the white high heels in the sketch with the white sneakers she was wearing to showcase for the collection a more casual, day-time option.

'Marinette,' her desk neighbor, a guy with bright red hair named Nathaniel leaned over to call out her name. They met at the Agreste fashion label, as fellow interns a month ago and had been fast friends ever since.

'One minute!' she replied. 'I know it's almost coffee time.'

But Nathaniel shook his head emphatically. 'Nah-uh, that's not it. Today's the day the boss's son tours our section!'

'Eh,' replied Marinette, turning back to her work and conveying with the monosyllable how uninteresting that was to her.

'We're having the morning tea!'

At that, Marinette's hand stilled over her mouse.

He continued, knowing he had caught her attention, 'Cake. Croissants, muffins, macarons…' he listed.

'Macarons,' Marinette echoed dreamily. 'No, no, I can't! My friend has got me on a keto diet.'

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow at her.

'Shush you, I'm supporting her as a mark of solidarity. It's what friends do.'

'And as a real friend, I'm encouraging you to have a bit of cake.'

She looked up at him, clearly torn.

'Come anyway. Even if you don't have cake. Let's take a break.'

'Oh alright.' Marinette conceded, saving her work and locking her computer deftly. She stretched her arms behind her and got up, following Nathaniel into the staff kitchen.

Caline Bustier was there already, standing in front of the table stacked with food Marinette had her eyes on. Nathaniel wasn't wrong. Cake. Croissants. Muffins and macarons! Marinette stood near the front of the crowd of interns, pulling a subtly resisting Nathaniel along with her and in front of the small crowd of colleagues standing near the door. He was super shy but Marinette was here for one thing and one thing only: food.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she fished it out to read a text from Adrien.

_I've got a surprise for you today!_

Ever since she called him after the… reveal… at the bakery, they'd been texting each other everyday. Nothing too flirtatious, or so she thought. She was still trying to build up trust in him again. Even though her head knew that he didn't mean for her to get hurt over it and understood that he couldn't date. She remembered one particular text conversation -

(_But I don't understand. We could've at least been friends afterwards?_

_I wanted to be more than friends with you, Maribug!_)

Since then, they seemed to be toeing this awkward line of… something. It was difficult to navigate. All Marinette knew was that he texted her good morning every morning, goodnight every night and a whole slew of ridiculous puns and memes in between. She replied:

_If it's another hamster meme I will distinctly not be surprised._

_It's not :) :) :) :)_

Another thing about Adrien - he was pretty generous with the smiley faces and the emojis. And the exclamation marks and the nicknames. She put her phone away to better survey the food table and noticed a woman wearing rectangle-framed glasses with a bright red streak in her otherwise dark hair tied into a bun was next to Caline, tapping on an iPad. Marinette had met her before during the interview process to work at Gabriel. Nathalie - Marinette was pretty sure that was her name. From her tight, low bun to her shoes, Nathalie's ensemble was all sharp lines and serious. But she had also found within Nathalie an unsuspecting softness when it came to her workplace and it was that attitude that sealed the deal for Marinette for wanting to work at Gabriel. Sure, it had a name and it would look good on her resume, but if it was a place where the employees looked forward to coming to work everyday and enjoyed spending time with colleagues - a positive work culture like that couldn't be ignored!

When she came to the front, Nathalie looked up at her iPad and straight at Marinette who offered an awkward smile and small wave as greeting. Nathalie smiled back, the barest upturn of her lips before returning back to looking at her iPad.

The kitchen was abuzz with quiet conversation before the door behind her opened and instantly the room fell into a hush. Turning around, she noticed Gabriel walking in. Sleek hair, not a strand out of place and in his customary red and white ensemble. Rooms did tend to fall quiet when the founder and eponymous Gabriel walked through the door - it was something about his presence. But following him was someone she was certainly not expecting. Today, he was dressed in all white - white jeans and a white t-shirt, a monochromatic look on a colour spectrum she was unused to from him. His hair was carefully constructed chaos, instead of its usual side sweeping fringe and neat peaks, it stuck out in all directions. It suited him, she thought.

When he caught her eye, he had the audacity to wink. As he walked past her to the other side of the kitchen he whispered, 'Do you like the surprise?'

She nodded, unwilling to trust her speaking voice from climbing an octave or two.

From her side, Nathaniel nudged her, 'You didn't mention you knew Adrien Agreste?'

She shook her head, trying to snap out of the trance induced by the ray of sunshine that had just entered the room. 'I just knew him as Adrien,' she replied simply.

The morning tea was kind of nice, really. Gabriel, she realised, was a bit like Nathalie. He looked more intimidating than he was. He was just really serious. And Adrien, going through the crowd, mingling with all of the colleagues and, she noticed with amusement, surreptitiously grabbing a macaron to gobble in one bite when his father and Nathalie were engaged in conversation and not looking at him, Adrien was really nice.

When he came around to her, he shook Nathaniel's hand warmly.

'It's nice to meet you, Nathaniel! Welcome to Gabriel. I hope you're settling in ok? At least I know your colleagues are amazing,' Adrien turned his head to nod brightly at Marinette, who promptly turned beet-red.

'It's been a pleasure working at Gabriel, and with Marinette,' replied Nathaniel diplomatically. 'Thanks for taking the time to meet and greet us lowly interns.'

'Not at all! I know you guys have worked super hard to get here, and that the designers you work under work you super hard here as well. We've got to think of the future, what's next for the Gabriel line. The answer lies with you.'

Marinette watched as Nathaniel smiled, totally won over by Adrien's easygoing charisma and praise. She made eye contact with Nathaniel who suddenly excused himself. 'It's been nice to meet you, Adrien! Now I'm pretty sure that cake has my name on it!' He scurried off towards the kitchen table and Adrien laughed.

'It has my name on it too. But alas, it cannot be. Nathalie and Father are in the room, and I've got a modeling job after this.'

'Ah,' replied Marinette. 'This is why you're dressed nicely today.'

'Hey!' he laughed, no real bite behind his exclamation.

'Your hair suits you like this,' she said.

'Why thank you, Marinette.'

'I'm going to a modelling too after this. Get to see what it's like behind the scenes. It's my turn to be rostered in.'

Adrien paused to give her a conspiratorial look. 'Come to the new warehouse, if you can. That's where I'll be.'

He'd be the death of her. She was sure he would be.

* * *

Marinette couldn't believe that Adrien, dorky, pun-filled, ball of sunshine, subject of a fast-growing crush Adrien was Adrien _Agreste_. Since she started at Gabriel, she had been working on women's lines so she hadn't seen his modelling work. But as she walked through the fashion house on her way to the warehouse for the modelling shoot, it was like Adrien was everywhere. There he was, laughing and brandishing perfume in a 2016 framed ad as she passed through the hallway. There he was, _holy crap, _was he wearing her bowler hat in that catwalk montage? He was the model that modeled her creation, all those years ago? That's why he was funny in her apartment with the plaque wall - he recognised it. She couldn't believe he recognised it. She couldn't believe she didn't recognise him.

How many times could this sunshine boy come unexpectedly into her life without her noticing?

When Marinette stepped through the doors of the warehouse into a full blown fashion shoot, she stepped into the most beautifully organized chaos she could ever have imagined. As this was not a public facing fashion shoot - the purpose of this one was to capture the upcoming spring line - it was designer and fitter and model and photographer and set design and utter pandemonium. Loud music was blaring as models walked the catwalk in the centre of the warehouse and cameras flashed in the background. Part of her felt overwhelmed by the sensory overload, ready to turn around and retreat back to her little workstation next to Nathaniel and she was about to succumb to that temptation when the sight in front of her rooted her to the spot.

It was Adrien. On the catwalk.

The music pounded a steady rhythm echoed by her heartbeat as his long, languid legs moved in time with the music. His face was all hard angles and seriousness, to match the thudding music, but when he caught her eye, she could've sworn she saw his lips curl into a smile for a split second. But then he reached the top of the catwalk, and effortlessly dropped into poses that the photographers went mad for. With more grace than Marinette knew she had in her entire body, he then turned around and walked back down the runway.

She suddenly knew why liking someone was called a crush. A crush like your heart was being crushed. Like the poor little organ instead of pumping oxygenated blood back through her body was being squeezed at the very sight of him.

She felt like she blinked and he was back on the catwalk again. In a costume change so fast, he was now wearing a black shirt done up with a zipper that was half-undone. And black leather pants reminiscent of a Halloween costume long ago.

A song later and his familiar figure was again in the spotlight, smirk firmly in place as his long limbs sashayed down the runway with ease. Adrien modelling was something else. She didn't realise how similar modeling was to acting until she saw Adrien do it. When the costume was light and bright, Adrien looked radiant, carefree and dreamy. When it was black, he looked serious, sensuous, sexy. And now, in a casual look that was going back to basics, in a white open shirt rolled to his sleeves with blue jeans and orange sneakers totally different to the dilapidated ones she saw when she first met him - he looked like he was going on a first date. Just like the season of spring itself, he looked full of hope.

After the show was done, she found him backstage and grinning widely, he pulled her along to another part of the studio where he was waiting to participate in an individual photoshoot in the last outfit.

'So, what did you think?' he asked.

'It was amazing!' Marinette gushed. 'I loved the variety of outfits that fit under the banner of spring. Spring is all about change and I really enjoyed the thematic elements of the show. And music! It plays such a big part. I never realised…' she trailed off.

Adrien laughed easily in response. 'I'm glad you like it.'

'And you were an amazing model!' she continued. 'I mean, I know you are a professional and all but you looked incredible up there… like you were born for it.'

His hand went to the back of his blonde hair and a pointed cough from the stylist next to him stopped him just in time from wrecking his hairdo of carefully designed chaos.

Vincent, his photographer, then took the opportunity to notice his appearance.

'Adrien! Chop chop!' he wildly gesticulated. Marinette eyes followed his gesturing to an ornately carved bench in front of a green screen.

Ruefully, Adrien made a 'sorry' face at her and went as directed. She peered shyly at the set as once again Adrien the model came out in full force.

'More youthful!' Vincent yelled out and Adrien delivered with a carefree silent laugh, head tossed back and eyes closed with pretend mirth.

'More playful!' demanded Vincent and Adrien's lips closed as he looked into the camera with only the corner of his mouth turned up in a smile while his eyes danced with glee. Then he looked away, just behind the camera as if he had a fun surprise just behind it for you if only you would let him show you.

Marinette didn't realise she had walked even closer until she was practically on the set. She could see the photographs being blown up onto their laptops instantaneously as the photographs were being taken. Her head swiveled as she turned from the miniature screen to the real thing not six feet away.

'More romantic!' was Vincent's next command. Adrien looked perplexed for a second and then stood up from the bench to dip into a dramatic bow, kneeling on one knee to complete the effect. 'Good, good, Adrien.' Vincent muttered as the camera clicked on. 'But not good enough. I need more romance! More love! Like la vie en rose!' Adrien stood up and looked away from the camera, leaning casually with his elbows on the back of the bench. He turned to face the camera and showcased a shy smile. Marinette thought he looked like he was waiting to meet someone for a date. He looked perfect...

Vincent apparently disagreed. 'No! No! I need it to be perfect!' Vincent stepped away from the camera. 'You there!' he pointed in Marinette's direction and she turned around behind her to see which model he was talking to.

'Yes, you, you silly goose.'

Her eyes widened and she turned a palm to herself, the universal gesture for 'me?' She shook her head slightly.

Vincent ran his eyes along her outfit. 'You're dressed in the new spring line.'

Marinette looked down, having forgotten that she was indeed dressed in Gabriel today. It was something unique to Gabriel, who liked his designers to sample their seasonal clothing lines before they rolled them out to the public. A model would wear it for a moment on the catwalk. A designer would wear it all day, and would move around in it, breathe in it, work in it. Before they released their clothes to the public, they had to make sure themselves that it was okay. Today, Marinette was dressed in a simple rose coloured dress. It had a rectangle neckline, exposing her collarbones and long sleeves that billowed out. The cut of the skirt was short and flared slightly. She was wearing her outfit with white sneakers - a firm believer that comfort and fashion could co-exist. Her sneakers had little pink flowers embroidered into the side of them.

'I'm an intern.' Marinette blurted out.

Vincent shook his head and clucked his tongue. 'Good, go get some experience. This is Adrien Agreste. Son of Gabriel, heir to the fashion empire, teenage heartthrob, young adult role model, blah blah blah. You'll be fine,' he pointed towards the bench and meekly Marinette sat on it.

Adrien laughed. 'Sorry you're getting dragged into it,' he said quietly to her. He was still behind the bench and he leaned forward, resting his hands on her shoulders as she sat down. He pointed towards her legs and gestured for her to neaten her skirt. She complied, fanning out the skirt and suddenly glad that if she was going to go on her first modeling adventure at all, at least she'd be doing it with an expert.

Vincent was soon behind the camera again and clicking away. 'Now, this is romance!' he exclaimed as Adrien leaned over, his limbs draping casually across Marinette's shoulders as he hugged her from behind.

'Is this ok?' he whispered in her ear.

'Y-Yea- huh,' she stammered.

He chuckled softly beside her. 'You're a natural, Marinette.' He brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.

She gulped. She didn't trust herself to speak.

'Come around, Adrien!' Vincent directed.

Adrien walked around the bench.

'Wait!' said Vincent. 'Go back, I want to see you in motion.'

Adrien took exaggerated steps, somehow keeping the shape of his stride though the speed of it had just about halved.

'You, intern, look at him,' commanded Vincent.

Honestly, it was hard not to. Everything about Adrien was mesmerising to Marinette. His green eyed gaze was warm as he looked back at her and she felt herself blush. She pressed her hands to her warming cheeks in embarrassment and then realised she was probably ruining the shot. When she placed her hands gingerly on her lap, Vincent made a noise of irritation.

'Hands like before, intern. You love this boy. This is your first date. You have admired him from afar for a very long time and for the first time ever, his eyes are only on you. You're embarrassed. You want so much for this to go well, you bought Gabriel's new spring dress for the occasion,' he chuckled to himself lightly at that.

Marinette felt like he was reading her diary. The heat spreading across her face was not an act at all. She tried to school her impression into something model-worthy but that kind of stressed her.

'No no no!' Vincent said, increasing Marinette's stress with each repeated syllable of disapproval. 'Adrien, you make her feel comfortable. Sit beside her.'

Adrien obediently sat beside her.

They performed a little pantomime of an awkward first date. Adrien gesturing to some pretend flowers he was giving her and Marinette smiling shyly behind her hands as she giggled.

'Good, very good.' Vincent approved.

Adrien held his hand out and Marinette surprised herself by grabbing it and interlocking fingers with him.

'Yes!' yelled Vincent, but to be honest, Marinette wasn't really hearing the photographer anymore. She was holding Adrien Agreste's hand. It was so much bigger than her own, and so warm, his skin so smooth. She liked holding his hand very much.

With a cheeky smile that reminded her more of the first time that she met him, when he was still wearing a mask, he lifted her hand to press a soft kiss onto it.

Marinette was never going to wash her hand again.

A soppy look crossed her face but she couldn't help it. She'd been thinking about this boy for weeks now and he was still holding her hand, his beautiful golden skin reflecting the fake sunlight of the set. But then, he suddenly drew his hand away, startling her out of her newfound mission of counting the spikes in his pretty, blonde hair.

'Hey, she doesn't have to do that! I don't want to make her uncomfortable,' he said to Vincent.

Her mind felt like it was wading through cake batter. Hmmm?

Vincent replied to Adrien with an exasperated pfft. 'But the chemistry! You have such chemistry! I've never seen it from you before, Adrien.'

He looked between Vincent and Marinette, completely torn. 'I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable,' he got out.

'I'm not uncomfortable,' Marinette provided.

'Oh,' said Adrien. 'Are you sure?'

'Mhmm,' she nodded happily.

He held both of her hands in his and looked her right in the eye. 'You're definitely sure?'

She nodded again. 'Sure as the seashore.'

He broke into laughter at that and she smiled. Adrien had always had a weakness for wordplay humour. He squeezed her hands and said her name, and the way that all three syllables rolled of his tongue was intoxicating. 'Marinette.'

Then he closed his eyes, leaned forward and kissed her, the barest press of his lips to hers in a soft peck. She was so surprised she forgot to react.

Vincent yelled out, 'Again, Adrien!'

Marinette's eyes widened and again, Adrien kissed her. This time, she was expecting it and managed to close her eyes. His lips lingered longer during this second staged kiss. When they broke apart, he smiled shyly at her.

'Perfect,' announced Vincent. 'Now, that's a wrap.'

There was a hustle and bustle as the photographers, fitters and stylists left the set, Adrien pulling Marinette along with him. As they passed Vincent, Vincent nodded knowingly at both of them.

'I'll tell Nathalie you both did well.'

Marinette was trying to process what Vincent meant when they left the warehouse. Adrien looked at the time, 'Would you like to grab lunch?'

She nodded, suddenly famished.

'Let's go!' he held her hand as they walked through the building.

As they passed the reception area on their way to the elevators, they heard a wolf-whistle from Kim, operations manager, who was sitting at reception in place of Ondine. Adrien seemed to recollect himself and swiftly withdrew his hand. Shyly, Marinette reached for it again.

He looked between Marinette and their hands, currently entwined. The elevator doors shut behind them with just the two of them inside.

'Marinette, I -'

She waited with bated breath.

'Would you…' he began again. With his free hand, he reached for the back of his head, totally messing up his hair.

'I would like to go out with you, Adrien Agreste!' Marinette declared.

He stopped and stared at her incredulously.

She felt like she was going to die. 'Please tell me that was what you were going to ask me. Because I've got feelings for you and I've been feeling for a little while that they might be mutual.' She spoke really fast. 'I know that we agreed to be friends but I was really hoping that maybe we could also be more than friends because Adrien, I love you so -'

Marinette did not get to finish telling Adrien how much she loved him so because at that moment he finished her sentence with a kiss. First it was one kiss, which turned into another one and then another one and Marinette was really glad that the warehouse set floor that they had come from was at the very top of the building when in a distant part of her mind she heard a soft ding, whoosh and a distinct cough.

Gabriel Agreste himself was on the ground floor. Calculating gaze severe as he watched his son and newly hired intern disentangle their lip locked and limb-locked embrace in the cramped elevator.

'Not at work, please.'

He then swept pass them into the elevator they had just vacated, leaving perfectly formed o's on their faces.

'I'll see you at our family dinner tomorrow night, Miss Dupain-Cheng. Nathalie will make the arrangement,' Gabriel said as the elevator doors closed on his serious face.

Adrien turned to Marinette, delighted surprise etched on his face. She turned back, expression radiant. Together, hand in hand, they stepped out of the office building and into the Parisian sunshine.

* * *

_**Author's Note**: Just the epilogue to go!_


	5. A Hamster Named Love

_At Gabriel's office_

'Nathalie,' Gabriel began, looking up from his checking of the photoshoot proofs of the new spring line, the subject of the photographs prompting his thoughts.

'Yes, sir?'

'How is Adrien going with that intern you recommended, do you have any updates? I quite liked her at dinner the other week.'

'Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien are going well together.' She pulled out her iPad to refer to a spreadsheet. 'Here,' she gestured at a series of graphs. 'Favourable mentions of Adrien and his new sweetheart have increased by 126% in magazines, 321% on Instagram and 154% on YouTube. It especially skyrocketed after Marinette's guest appearance in Adrien's Vogue interview where it was revealed she was the designer of the very popular new spring line dress. She has made a good impact on his reputation and on the business. You were right to hire her.'

Gabriel nodded, pleased with the information. 'And how is he doing…emotionally?'

At this, a smile broke out onto Nathalie's usually stern face. 'As you've seen for yourself, he's been happier lately. His latest monthly medical check-up reports perfect physical health and a marked improvement in mental health as well.'

'Good,' said Gabriel. He turned back to his work.

'Gabriel?'

'Yes, Natahlie,' he responded without looking up.

'Forgive me if this is out of line, but as a suggestion you know you could always ask Adrien himself how he is doing. You don't have to rely on google news alerts or twitter trends to see how he's doing.'

Gabriel's figure stilled in response. 'Don't be preposterous,' he said, after a pause. 'That's what I have you for.'

He went back to his work and as Nathalie left him, she couldn't help a small sigh escaping from her mouth. What would any of these Agreste men do without her, honestly?

* * *

_At the movie theatre_

'I have waited years for this moment!' announced Alya.

'I agree, this Austen adaptation is my favourite one yet!' agreed Marinette stretching her arms out behind her as they left the movie theatre together.

'No,' Alya rolled her eyes. 'For all four of us to be able to go on a double date.'

Alya grinned as she saw Adrien catch Marinette's hand and hold it in his own after she finished stretching.

'But you're right Marinette, that was a very good movie.' Alya conceded. 'Even Nino liked it.'

Nino perked up at his name being mentioned. 'Dude, the servants were so good! Silent. But present. It said a lot about social class. What did you think of it, bro?'

Adrien paused, 'It was a great movie. I liked her name.'

Marinette laughed quietly to herself, pulling Adrien's gaze towards her.

'What?' he asked.

She shook her head, 'Nothing. I like the name too.' He looked at her quizzically and she couldn't repress another smile.

'Anyway,' continued Alya, turning around on the elevator to face back up to Marinette and Adrien. She formed her fingers into L-shapes and turned them to make a picture frame. Closing one eye, she put it over Adrien and Marinette. 'I was talking about you two. You guys owe us for life for setting you up.'

'Was it setting up if it wasn't on purpose?' asked Marinette cheekily. 'Pretty sure Adrien coming over to help you move was exactly that: to help you move. And I'd already met him before. At the pet store.' They stepped off the elevator and into the foyer.

'I can have more than one motive!' insisted Alya. 'Nino, back me up.'

'That wasn't even the first time she tried to set you two up. Remember the Halloween party?'

Adrien grimaced and his hand lifted to rub uncomfortably at the back of his neck. 'Yes, we remember the Halloween party.'

Marinette squeezed his hand in response. 'It was at the Halloween party that I became a cat person.'

He looked up at her and smiled softly.

'All's well that ends well,' declared Alya. 'Now let's go grab dinner! I'm starving!'

'Amen to that,' muttered Nino.

Marinette and Adrien chorused together in laughter. And in two neat pairs, they exited the theatre.

* * *

_At the Dupain-Cheng Bakery_

'Don't be shy about handling the dough. You've gotta grab the side furthest away from you and fold it in half towards you. Then with the heels of your palm, you push the dough out on top of itself, using your body weight to do the work. Like so.'

Adrien watched the tutorial from Tom Dupain intently, mirroring his movements with his own lump of risen dough on the wooden board in front of him. Tom peered over at Adrien's work.

'Yes, that's exactly right!'

With more enthusiasm now, Adrien continued kneading. Then he lifted his hands up in the air, spread apart his fingers and watched with concern as the dough acted like webbing between his fingers. 'Is it supposed to be so sticky?'

'Oh no, here.' Tom sprinkled flour onto Adrien's pile of dough. 'Use as needed.' Adrien went to grab a handful more but Tom stopped him gently. 'Not too much! You don't want to throw off the balance between the yeast and the flour.'

Adrien nodded seriously and went back to it. They worked in silence for a bit as Adrien diligently kneaded the dough.

'I can see from how you take instruction that you must have been a very diligent student, Adrien.'

'I try,' he responded humbly. 'Anything for Marinette,' he added, seriously.

Tom beamed down at his future son-in-law. How long had they been dating now? Had it been a year yet? Two? Adrien had jumped into their lives at Marinette's first, formal introduction and they now ate dinner together every Sunday night. Now it felt like he had always been a part of the family. And unlike Marinette, Tom was able to beat Adrien at mecha strike 3 in their weekly gaming sessions every now and again. Tom had always liked him. Even when he was in a cat costume. He prided himself on being a good judge of character, kind of like how he could tell before the batch went into the oven whether it was going to be a good one or not. And Adrien was a good one. The breadmaking adventure was Adrien's idea. He wanted to learn how to make bread the Dupain-Cheng way for Marinette.

How long did young people these days feel they needed to date before they put a ring on it? From the moment he first lay eyes on Sabine he knew that she was going to be the one. He felt like courtship and engagement were only preamble to when their real lives would start together. And he would be lying if he didn't admit that the idea of little grandchildren, little Marinette's and little Adrien's running through the home again would bring him so much joy.

Adrien and Tom worked together side by side, kneading dough together in companionable silence. After a while, Adrien interrupted Tom's train of thought.

'What's that song you're singing?'

Tom didn't realise he had been singing. He laughed and explained, 'Ah, it's just a little tune my father used to sing to me. It's kind of tradition to hum it while we knead bread. It's from Carmen.'

Adrien's eyes lit up. 'That's why it sounded so familiar!'

'Are you a fan of opera?'

'I'm a fan of classical music.' He gestured with his fingers, twinkling them in the air, 'I play the piano.'

'We tried to get Marinette into lessons once when she was a kid. Unfortunately her creativity doesn't seem to run that way.'

'She never told me,' said Adrien, smiling to himself.

Tom brought out two bread pan trays and placed his dough into one of them, gesturing for Adrien to do the same. He then placed both trays into the oven.

'And now we wait!' declared Tom. 'Care to join me for some MS-III, son?'

Smiling at the endearment, which somehow fell so naturally from the lips of Tom and Sabine and was such a stark difference to his own father, Adrien followed Tom into the living room. 'I would like to join you. But first I wanted to talk to you.'

'Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you said please. I'm not Marinette, you know I don't fall for the goo-goo eyes.'

Adrien laughed in response. 'I want to talk to you about Marinette actually.'

'Is something wrong?' Tom's eyes widened with alarm.

'No, no! Not at all!' Adrien hastily raised his hands and gestured no as he waved them.

Tom listened to what Adrien had to say, and when Adrien was done, it was with surprise that he wiped actual tears from his eyes. With one oversized arm he engulfed Adrien in a hug. Reaching over behind him, Adrien passed Tom a tissue which he blew into noisily. 'We are so very blessed to have you as part of our family, Adrien. I couldn't ask for anything more for my daughter. I love you, son.' He engulfed Adrien into a hug again, this time of the bone-crushing bear hug variety. Even as Adrien laughed, a tear slid down his cheek as well. Love. Son. Family. Those weren't words he'd heard in a long time within the walls of his own cold home. Closing his eyes, he hugged Tom back.

When Tom calmed down, he wiped at his eyes and turned on the video console. 'I will definitely still not be going easy on you!'

This time when they played mecha-strike III, Tom totally wiped the floor with Adrien. Adrien's character was no more than a dirty cloth on the carpet by the time the oven beeped, noting that their bread was ready. The smell of fresh bread permeated the air and Adrien breathed it in deeply. He wouldn't trade a thing for the world.

* * *

_At the pet store_

'And what do we have here this fine Saturday morning? Marinette, it's been a while since I saw you last! And Tikki! You've brought her I see! She looks beautiful.'

'Hi Mr Fu!' called out Marinette as she made her way to the hamster section. 'It's long overdue. Tikki says hi -' she added as Mr Fu bent down to pat the nuzzling hamster. 'Adrien and I are having a hamster date later today. I need a-' she stopped talking to put Tikki's cage down and gesture with her hands a box shape - 'barrier, or container or something, or like a fence?' she paused, struggling to articulate it. 'We want Tikki and Plagg to be able to run around but in an enclosed area in the park.'

'I know exactly what you need.'

'You do?!'

'Here!' Mr Fu gestured to a wire play pen. 'We normally use this for rabbits, but it should work great for hamsters too.'

'Perfect! This will make Adrien so happy!' Marinette gushed.

'Oh, do you still see Adrien around?' he asked, a sly smile creeping onto his face as he looked at her knowingly.

This went above Marinette's head who turned away from the playpen to nod brightly. 'He's my boyfriend! We first met here actually.'

'Is that so?' Mr Fu asked, his smile now a full-blown grin.

'Yes, kind of. Our first proper meeting was here. Brought together by our mutual love of hamsters.'

'Tikki and Plagg, of course. And also by the Miraculous Pet Store!' Mr Fu gestured towards the sign of the shop. 'Full of miraculous surprises.'

'It's true,' Marinette laughed, easily agreeing with him. 'What a coincidence it must have been. For Adrien and I to both be in the market for hamsters, and for our hamsters to both be scheduled to be picked up on the same day, at the same time.'

'Quite the serendipitous encounter.'

'This place will always be part of our love story.' Marinette sighed happily. Then her phone buzzed, snapping out of her daydream. 'Oh no, I'm running late. I've got to go Mr Fu! I'll visit more often! I'll take the playpen. Thank you so much!' she brought it over to the counter.

He waved a hand. 'No, please. It's on the house.'

Marinette shook her head resolutely. 'What? No, I can't accept -'

'Please,' said Mr Fu. 'I insist.'

He started pushing her to the door and Marinette in shock accidentally let him.

'Take it as an early present from me. Say hello to Adrien for me!'

'It's not my birth-' she began, but he had already gone back into the store. She looked back at her phone, noting that Adrien was calling her. She would have to go back sometime and leave a hidden present of cash on his till or something, or pay extra for hamster food. Mr Fu was too kind. Much too kind.

Awkwardly holding the wire playpen, she maneuvered Tikki's cage and her handbag around to pick up her phone. 'Kitty?'

'Hey bugaboo,' she smiled at the ridiculous nickname. What had begun as outright groan-inducing had slowly become a begrudging kind of acceptance. He'd worn her down, melted her heart and now this nonsense word held so much meaning. Like a secret identity between them or something. 'Are you done at the pet store yet? I've just parked around the corner.'

'Oh, I see you!' she waved at him and then briskly crossed the road to unload things into the boot of his car.

'How are you today, beautiful?' Adrien kissed her on the cheek as she settled into the passenger seat with Tikki (and Plagg) in a box on her lap.

She giggled. 'Excited. Can't believe we're finally going to do our long awaited hamster date!'

They drove together, amiably chatting about their day. Adrien had done a photoshoot in the morning for his father, and Marinette had spent the morning putting together a job application for a senior designer position at Gabriel's. The opportunity had arisen and though she was only young, with quite a few successes tucked under her belt, a working knowledge of Gabriel's brand and style (and the sometimes prickly people who worked there), she thought she had a good chance.

Adrien parked the car, thankful once again that his father now let him drive himself around without his bodyguard, in fact his bodyguard had kind of become part of the household staff who only shifted back into his bodyguard duties when Adrien was attending formal events. He was free to use personal time without supervision, so long as he screened his activities and notified Nathalie of his whereabouts, of course. Some things would probably never change. Marinette held the hamsters and he picked up the playpen she had found at the pet store with one arm and the picnic basket his cook had helped prepare with the other. Included in the basket was the loaf of Dupain-Cheng style bread he had made the other day with Tom. He was honestly still largely a disaster in the kitchen unsupervised, but he was intent on improving.

'Oh, please remind me, Adrien! We have to go back sometime and pay Mr Fu for this playpen. He tried to give it to me as a gift but that's totally unnecessary, right?'

'Right,' echoed Adrien, his eyebrow furrowed a little. What was Mr Fu up to?

They crossed the cute footbridge of Parc Monceau to find a spot in the shade to lay out their picnic. Adrien unboxed the playpen and set it up while Marinette took out the picnic food. When she got to the bread she sniffed it appreciatively.

'Did you get this from the bakery?' she asked, mouth quirked into a smile.

'Yes. And no. I made it at the bakery.'

'No way!'

'Why do you have such little faith in me?'

'Because the last time you brought something you cooked you learnt the hard way that baking soda and baking powder are not the same thing.'

He laughed fondly at the memory. 'You'll have to see for yourself whether I've improved.'

'Tikki and Plagg will help judge!'

Marinette broke off two tiny pieces of bread and lay them on the grass besides Tikki and Plagg. Both jumped onto the bread immediately, nibbling it with their delicate little teeth. Marinette popped another piece into her mouth and nodded.

'I stand corrected. This is… amazing!' Marinette threw both hands into the air with a flourish and Adrien laughed.

He plonked himself down beside her on the grass and she curled up to him, his familiar scent as pleasant as the flowers beside them in the park. Adrien put a hand through her hair, running his fingers along the loose strands. She had not tied her hair up today. Without her trademark pigtails, her hair fluttered softly in the gentle breeze.

'I love you, Marinette,' said Adrien.

She smiled up at him. 'I love you too, Adrien.' Telling him that she loved him was as easy as breathing.

'I knead you in my life!' Adrien gestured at the bread he made.

Marinette rolled her eyes, but didn't move from her comfortable position.

'Because I loaf you very much,' he continued.

She should've seen that one coming, she really should've.

'In fact,' Adrien said and she could tell by his tone that he was on a roll now, had probably looked up these jokes and memorized them for this very moment, 'I would like to propose that we grow mould together.'

She didn't respond. That was usually the best way to let him get out all of the punniness inside of him.

He nudged her gently and she looked up at him. 'I proposed,' he repeated, 'that we grow mould together Marinette, what do you say?'

She opened her mouth to reply, something sassy on the tip of her tongue when her breath was taken away in shock by the piece of jewelry dangling from Adrien's fingertips. A significant piece of jewelry. With symbolic meaning. Clasped between his thumb and his pointer finger was a beautiful ring. With a silver band and a teardrop gemstone in the centre that sparkled in the Parisian sunlight. In a distant part of her mind, she noticed that the gemstone was set deeply into the ring, the bezel setting if she remembered correctly. This ring wouldn't snag on clothing that she spent all day buried in. He had thought of that. He had thought of that when he chose the ring.

Gingerly, Adrien placed his finger under her chin and shut her mouth. 'My sweet bugaboo, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?'

A couple of other things ran through Marinette's mind. Shock, first and foremost. Not that she hadn't been planning on marrying Adrien since to be honest soon after she met him, but that it was happening. Here and now. In her beloved city. With her beloved pets. She looked at his earnest green eyes, his beautiful lips curved into a tentative smile. She knew that she loved every single bit of this man. And she couldn't wait to begin the rest of their lives together. She managed one word, 'Yes!' and grinning, he guided her mouth with his hand still under her chin to his own and they kissed.

Half an hour later, after Adrien had determined that he had thoroughly kissed his fiance enough, for now, Alya and Nino, Mr Fu, Nathalie and Gabriel and Tom Dupain received a text from Adrien. In it, Adrien and Marinette beamed happily and Marinette held the back of her left hand up to the camera, showcasing the engagement ring now sitting on her fourth finger. Adrien had captioned it with the message: "We're getting meowied!"

When the same picture appeared a few days later on his Instagram, hundreds of thousands of likes flooded in, along with thousands of comments. But none of them meant as much to him as the one from marinettedesigned which said: "I love you furry much, meow and always" with a cat heart-eyes emoji.

A thousand love heart emojis couldn't express the love he had for his fiancé, but Instagram capped him out at 220. Oh well, it would have to do.

* * *

_Eighteen months later_

'Honestly Alya, if Gabriel complains one more time about not seeing us after he reschedules our monthly get-togethers I am going to give up completely and dare I say it, pop by _without an appointment_!'

A gush of worry echoed on the phone but Marinette giggled in response.

'I know. The horror.'

Rain splashed onto her white anorak as she pressed her phone against her shoulder while she dug into her bag, looking for the black umbrella Adrien had given to her so long ago. She put it up overhead and was offered brief respite from the rain.

'I have news.'

Marinette shook her head at Alya's wild guesses. Nope, Adrien hadn't heard back about the physics job yet, though she was quietly optimistic about him finally getting the chance to leave Gabriel to pursue something he was actually interested in. Nope, she hadn't finished designing a little christening outfit for little Sylvie, Alya and Nino's daughter who had only turned one month old. But she assured Alya that it would be done on time.

'Our family is expanding! Tikki is expecting! I'm at the pet store right now. We're gonna need a bigger cage for our beautiful hamster family.'

She smiled as Alya offered her congratulations to Tikki with a pointed note that sentences that began with "our family is expanding" did not usually refer to pets. Marinette reached the entrance to the pet store, shut the umbrella and shook it at the step before she stepped inside.

'Too hasty by far, my bestie,' she declared. 'Because I'm pregnant too. And now I'm here at the pet store, bye~' She ended the phone call with a sing-song voice, grinning as she hung up on her flabbergasted friend.

As she made her way to the hamster section, she realised Adrien was already there, surveying the allotment of hamster equipment. As comfortably dressed as ever, she noted, in a bright red hoodie with black polkadots nonetheless, an indulgent smile crept onto her lips as she admired her husband from afar. She sidled up to him and asked, 'Excuse me, sir. Are you from Amsterdam?.'

He spun around and grinned at her, drawing her in and hugging her from behind. He placed a gentle hand on her stomach, which was barely bloated, containing a fetus as big as a plum at the moment.

She continued the joke, a whisper in his ear as he held her close, 'Cos if you are, then hamster, damn!'

Beaming, her eyes fluttered to a close as she recognised the glint of mischief in his eyes and prepared herself to be thoroughly kissed.

* * *

_**Author's Note:** THAT WAS SO HARD. This has been my longest story yet and it was so hard to finish. Props to all who write multi-chaps. You are champs. I am impressed. Please accept my humble little novella sized offering in the multi-chap universe. This story and a 41 page research paper for work made me realise writing long things is hard. Particularly for me. And I didn't know that about myself until now because I'd never had to produce anything more than 6,000 words by myself before! Oh well, something to keep working on. If you liked it, let me know :D I will get better with feedback, I promise haha_


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